Alive and Well, but Very Busy!

I just wanted to drop a note to let everyone know that I am alive and still working on this blog. This year I’m lucky enough to attend VMworld in Las Vegas. Its been a busy few weeks planning my event schedule, and meetings with vendors and fellow Virtualization Enthusiast. I will do my best to post each night about my daily events. I know things have been quiet around here. I have also been settling into my new role and starting to get involved in some projects, including a complete migration to ESXi on vSphere 4.1U1.

Now that I’m getting settled in, I plan on putting more time back into this blog to continue to share knowledge and the experiences I deal with during my current and future projects. I’ll also be absorbing as much info as I can at VMworld so I can pass on some of the knowledge and all the experiences I have at this amazing event.

Thanks again for your continued support of this endeavor.

VMworld 2011 – Vegas Baby!

As everyone is well aware, VMworld 2011 is about 2 months out. I know we are all looking forward to seeing everyone, learning new stuff, and of course, the event being in Vegas doesn’t make things any worse. For those of you that don’t know, VMworld is VMware’s annual event to showcase its products and upcoming advances in virtualization. This year, it is at the Venetian, in Las Vegas, NV and runs from August 29th through September 1st. I will be attending VMworld for the first time this year, and I think this will be a really good year to go. For those of you that haven’t asked to go, or are still trying to convince your boss to send you, VMware has stepped in and offered to help. VMware has taken the time to create a template justification letter again this year to help you help your company see the value of this event. Here is what VMware has to say in regards to their letter:

You already know how important VMworld 2011 is for your organization. Covering every aspect of virtualization and cloud computing, this once-a-year-event will provide essential opportunities for hands-on instruction, product evaluation, networking and brainstorming. The business impact of your VMworld participation, including increased simplicity, agility and cost efficiency, makes this one of the best IT investments your company will make all year.

To help your boss understand the importance of sending you to VMworld, as well as the return on investment it will bring, we’ve put together a justification email for you to use. Feel free to add or edit to fit your own situation—for example, by referring to specific issues, concerns or initiatives within your organization for which VMworld will be especially valuable.

VMware has also put up its latest Content Catalog on the VMworld site giving you an idea of what sessions and labs will be available this year. It may be a good idea to look over this list and see if any of the content aligns with any strategic directions or initiatives your company is currently involved in or looking into. It can definitely help with the justification of your trip if you can prove that there will be content that will not only benefit you, but also the technological direction that your company wants to steer in.

Lastly, I have a pretty strong feeling that VMworld 2011 is going to be the first time to really get some hands on with vSphere 5. As I previously posted, I’m fairly confident that VMware will be officially announcing vSphere 5 on July 12 and that means the labs and sessions should be packed full of content from this new technology. The rumors surrounding vSphere 5 and what advances it will bring definitely make it a product to see and evaluate for deployment in your environment. I’d also expect to see a lot of sessions on migration to ESXi from ESX since vSphere 5 will be an ESXi only product.

I hope to see everyone there, and hope that a few of these links may help people convince their company of the value of this event. The Justification Letter can be found HERE and the Content Catalog can be found HERE.